


Senju Naruto (Also known as Senju Menma)

by SkyWhiteRose8



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU - Tsunade raises Naruto, And one more later, But she won't lol, Danzo is an ass to kids and deserves what he gets, F/M, Fluff, I'm really bad at tags, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, She gets a lot of kids, Tsunade also has 2 other kids, Tsunade really needs to stop adopting kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16373009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWhiteRose8/pseuds/SkyWhiteRose8
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi are dead. They died the night the Kyuubi attacked. Life in the village moved on, but in a corner of the Wave Country a tiny blond hurricane, his older siblings, and his mother are making a living healing others. But things are going to change for the worse. Will the Senju Clan be ready?





	1. Home No More

**Author's Note:**

> A/N & Disclaimer: Soooooooo i’m rewriting an old fic i adopted from an extremely talented author. I don’t own Boruto’s Dad or it's characters. I just own my plot after the chapters i’m rewriting. I adopted it from an author called The BeardedOne on fanfictino.net

Home No More

 

* * *

 

A silver haired teen sighed as he crawled through the passage in the Hokage’s office. He reflexively suppressed his chakra as he walked, not wanting to distract any of the shinobi working in the offices that he passed as he headed for the council chambers. The scroll he carried now contained a list of the dead. Kakashi clenched his fist around the paper as he carefully pushed open the entrance freezing at the words he overheard.

"…and we have to move now. You heard our ally, the Hokage and the foreign…. Person he married are both dead, and the Kyuubi is sealed into Minato's son. We'll be able to get all of those properties and those scrolls at last, just as soon as that demon-child dies."

"But the child is apparently healthy." another voice said calmly. "And when Sarutobi recovers and reclaims the position of Hokage, he'll look after the boy. He'll either adopt it, or place it in a clan. We all know about our beloved Hokage's last wishes about his child being seen as a hero."

Kakashi's exposed eye widened at the scorn and vitriol of the voices below, but he waited in silence as the conversation continued. This concerned his sensei’s son. He needed more information before acting.

"The Slug-princess has left just as planned, thinking her cousins dead, but the Toad-sage is returning soon." a third voice said. "Whatever we plan to do, we need to do it fast. And deniably."

"You do not need to worry." Danzo's voice slithered from a darker corner of the chamber and Kakashi's blood seemed to turn to ice. "My men are almost in position. Before sunrise, they'll have replaced the demon-child with the body of an orphan conveniently killed in the attack. The brat will become Konoha's secret weapon, an emotionless killer with the power of the Kyuubi and total loyalty to Konoha and only Konoha."

Kakashi silently slid closed the hatch and backed away, suppressing his chakra as much as he could. The son of his sensei was in danger, and although he didn't recognize some of the voices, he knew Danzo by reputation. The old man was a merciless war-hawk willing to sacrifice his own men for his vision of how Konoha should be. The boy deserved better than that, and he obviously wasn't going to get it here in Konoha with these people. His feet carried him silently through sheer muscle memory out of the building and onto the surrounding structures, his movements on autopilot as he tried to to think of a way to save the small child his sensei and his wife had died protecting. His daze was broken when he saw the ROOT members surrounding the field hospital where young Naruto was sleeping. The silver haired ninja’s protective instincts kicked in and he went into motion, swiftly taking down individual shinobi, his actions covered by the sounds of fighting from inside the tent as, what he assumed were the med-nin inside, tried to defend the patients from other shinobi. His task took him less than 10 minutes, the corpses of dead shinobi around him as he walked into the tent finally.

There bodies everywhere, and a very focused woman reaching down into the crib holding baby Naruto. The copy-cat approached slowly, his sword in hand before a slight wet noise and then a rattling exhale filled the tent and the woman slumped. He maneuvered her body to land on the ground before noticing the bag she had been carrying. That must be the poor orphan. No time to mourn the loss of another innocent with the life of one dear to him at risk. He created a pair of bunshin to whom he handed the bag and all of his ninja equipment.

“Go fight at the Valley of the End. The trailing clone should leave marks for Konoha-nin to follow. Make the battle look like i lost and that only this bag remains as well as what gear is left,” said Kakashi as he tore a strip of fabric off his sleeve to create a makeshift eye-patch.

The pair of clones nodded and ran off.

Kakashi let out a long sigh before he lifted Naruto, using a low level sleep jutsu to ensure he wouldn’t wake on their journey. He grabbed a bag and shoved things he thought he’d need into it before he took off in the opposite direction from his clones. He’d need to figure something out to take care of the child he now held, but for now, getting the boy somewhere his burden would not be abused was his top priority. His footsteps were silent over the trees as he tried to figure out a nearby town he could hide in temporarily.

 

* * *

 

 

As dawn broke through the windows, the stone faced council members looked at the ANBU in shock.

“Repeat that please,” said Hiruzen, his aged face seeming to gain decades in the time it took for the ANBU to speak again.

“Hatake Kakashi, codename Inu, and Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto have died. We believe Hatake-san tried to rescue Naruto from a kidnapper that ended in a fight in the Valley of the End. We only found the body of Naruto and Kakashi-san’s gear. We suspect whoever tried to take Naruto decided Kakashi-san’s Sharingan was a worthy backup prize and left with it,” said the monkey faced ANBU who was giving the report.

“Any other proof of Kakashi being there?” Asked a man with pale lavender eyes.

“We found the remnants of an aborted Chidori, possibly a suicide strike that failed due to him dying just before it hit the enemy.”

“And Naruto?”

“We found a body that looked like Naruto, and he was missing from the field hospital. We weren’t sure if we should bury him in the Valley, or bring him back to Konoha to be buried with his parents, so we decided to bury him underneath the statue of the First,” said the ANBU, his tone neutral.

“Thank you for the report. Everyone is dismissed,” said Hiruzen, his voice drenched in a bone deep exhaustion that weighed heavily on everyone in the room.

After everyone had filed out, Hiruzen leaned back and let out a long breath.

“I failed you Minato, Kushina…. I couldn’t protect your son or your student,” murmured the old Hokage, not moving to wipe away the tears trailing down his face. This would be his only time to grieve before announcing this to the village.

 

* * *

 

 

Kakashi let out a sigh as he fed Naruto in the small village he was currently resting in. His senses were flared to detect any strong trained chakra trying to find him. His eye meanwhile was scanning the crowd out of reflex when he froze. Both his senses pinged an extremely strong chakra.

That couldn’t be possible. Had he really….

He stood after he got his tiny charge to sleep and began walking towards the source of the strong chakra who lead them out of the crowd towards a deserted back alley.

“Ok. I’ve had it,” growled the woman he had been following as the silver haired was pinned by the throat to the wall, the hand and arm suspending him nor trembling and closing like an iron vice around his windpipe.

“...wa….it….”

“No. I’ve lost my love, my cousin, his wife and his son. My home has been reduced to RUBBLE. And now some bounty hunter is tracking me while i get the only person i can consider my family away from that place filled with painful memories. Why should i WAIT?” The blonde woman continued, her grip unflinching.

Naruto seemed to sense the tension and began crying, drawing Tsunade’s attention to the makeshift carrier Kakashi wore around his torso.

“Is that….” Trailed Tsunade as her grip loosened.

“It’s Naruto,” coughed Kakashi, “He wasn’t killed.”

“Hand him to me,” murmured Tsunade as she let Kakashi go, “We can go to the hotel i’m staying at and figure this out better.”

The tracker-nin nodded and carefully pulled Naruto out of the carrier and handed him to Tsunade who began humming as they walked.

The silence that fell over the hotel room where they sat on beds opposite each other felt like it was suffocating Kakashi but he didn’t budge.

“You mean to tell me that Danzo ordered my cousin’s faked death and thought to tell me he was dead so i wouldn’t take care of my own family?” Asked Tsunade, her voice shockingly calm as she held Naruto.

“From what i overheard, yes that did seem to be his intent,” said Kakashi as he shoved his unruly silver hair back off his face.

“So how did you get out of that situation?” Asked Tsunade as she shot a glance over at the girl sleeping on the other bed in the hotel room, to see if she was still asleep.

“I faked our deaths and bolted. I couldn’t…. I couldn’t let him live the life Danzo wanted for him. He already carries such a burden at such a young age….”

“Explain,” said Tsunade after hearing Kakashi’s statement, her brown eyes narrowing.

“The Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto after it escaped Kushina-san’s seal,” said Kakashi softly, “And now he’s all alone in this world…”

“Well that’s where you are incorrect Kakashi. I seem to have picked up 2 more foundlings. But i suppose this means i can’t let myself fall apart. We’ll stay here for the night. In the morning we’re going to leave Hi no Kuni,” said Tsunade as she handed Naruto to Kakashi, “Welcome to the Senju clan Kakashi, Naruto. We’ll take good care of you.”

The black eyed shinobi stared blankly at Tsunade for a few long silent minutes before her words sunk in, “EH?!”

“You are my sons starting now. Tomorrow we head for Nami no Kuni. We’ll set up a small place there for now,” said Tsunade, “Get some rest.” The sannin tousled Kakashi’s hair and pressed a kiss to the top of Naruto’s head before she went to lay down on the bed with the brunette who was currently sleeping.

“Well Naruto, you’ll certainly be safe,” whispered Kakashi to the infant in his arms before he laid down himself, now slightly more hopeful for how this series of events would start going.

 

* * *

 

 

“We can find no more traces of the latest jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi,” said a cloaked figure in a group of like dressed individuals, “The seal must be of great strength to keep the strongest Bijuu in containment with no chakra to maintain it. We might need to wait upwards of 20 years for him to reappear for capture.”

“This is…… not ideal,” said another, this one’s voice far deeper than the first speaker, “Without all 9, our plan is going to be extremely delayed But we can patient and continue searching for ways to unseal the Kyuubi sooner.”

“That leaves the quests of how this happened so soon after we launched our attempt to claim the latest jinchuuriki. Someone who knew of our plan to claim the child,” said the first figure after a few moments of silence.

“Danzo.” Was the hissed response from a third figure in the room.

“Agreed. Orochimaru, you will return to Konohagakure and handle this. You are the one who brought Danzo into this. You will clean up your mistake. While you are there, search for the body and a way to unseal the Kyuubi. I expect you to make up for this failure,” said the second figure, the voice now traced with a promised threat.

“I understand Leader-sama. I will exceed your expectations. Though i am not sure what my contacts will find, i will apply myself to the utmost to achieve our goal.” The third figure gave a deep bow and his hologram vanished.

“Sasori. You know what you must do, don’t you?” Asked the first figure.

“Of course. My network will put out feelers for the information we need and express your immense displeasure,” said a fourth figure, the voice sounding young.

“Very good. Dismissed.”


	2. Home, Sweet Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The now larger Senju clan settles down in Nami no Kuni, and start putting down roots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N & Disclaimer: Soooooooo i’m rewriting an old fic i adopted from an extremely talented author. I don’t own Boruto’s Dad or it's characters. I just own my plot after the chapters i’m rewriting. I know i probably don't need to do this? But eh force of habit from fanfiction.net

Home, Sweet Home?

 

* * *

 

“Home sweet home?” Asked Tsunade, looking back at her ragtag group of adopted children. Her question was traced with the barest hint of sarcasm, though the 2 teens merely nodded. “It’s close to the town, so we can handle emergency cases and hopefully far enough away we won’t have to deal with hangover cures every other day. You two like it?”

 

Kakashi walked the perimeter, flaring out his chakra senses before returning several minutes later and saying, “It’s pretty big. It’ll need lots of work. The roof is in shambles, and the walls could use some definite fixing. Should be fine for a few days while we get it livable and there’s plenty of space for a garden.”

 

“I spotted a few medicinal herbs on the walk here,” said Shizune as she rearranged the way she was holding Naruto so the baby was more comfortable, “We can probably replant some here once the garden’s all fixed up.”

 

The woman looked up at the peeling facade of the mansion, her brown eyes seeing charm in the old house.

 

“There were definitely some rooms in the back we could use to set up a hospital too. Maybe a library too? Though we’d need some serious repairs if we want to have full access to all the shelves,” said Kakashi as he took a seat on the ground outside the house.

 

“Well if there’s a place for us to set a hospital it’s perfect. Tell the council we’ll take it. Though it might be awhile before we open,” said Tsunade as she turned to look at the grey haired builder whom they’d met on their way to Nami no Kuni before she chuckled and said, “Though i would appreciate not getting swamped with sniffles and hangovers.”

 

“I’ll tell the council. Thank you so much,” said the man with a grateful expression painted across his weathered face, “Medics at last. The house is yours. No one has used it in many years. No one will contest you on ownership.”

 

“I insist on paying, i don’t want to get by for free.We’ll try to open as soon as possible. Though that will still be a few weeks off. My son isn’t the handiest woodworker and his brother well….. He’s a bit young for a hammer. We might need to hire you for some of our repair work. If you don’t mind,” said Tsunade with a low chuckle.

 

“I live near the edge of town. Just listen for the hammers. I’ll be by whenever you need help,” said Tazuna with a low laugh before he walked away.

 

Tsunade looked back to the large home and said, “Well we best get some part of this place liveable so we can get some decent rest. The luggage should be ok till the morning. Let’s find a room to crash in for tonight.”

 

The two teens gave grateful nods and set to work finding a room that was large enough. Kakashi took Naruto off Shizune’s hands and stuck him in the makeshift baby carrier he’d been using since he’d first taken his now adoptive brother away from Konoha. His one revealed eye was scanning the area of the mansion he was in for a large enough room for them all the rest in easily and safely. His path through the house led him to a moderately sized room that, although extremely dirty, could probably be cleaned fairly easily and have enough room for their bed rolls and the makeshift crib they used for Naruto.

 

“Tsuna-” Started Kakashi before he recalled a conversation they’d had on the road here. He looked down at Naruto before he called, “Okaa-san, Shizune-san! I think i found a room!”   
  
“Well you’ll need to come find us! We might be lost!” Called Shizune from a far corner of the mansion.

 

“Ok! Give me a second to clean this room a bit!” The silver haired teen covered Naruto’s face before he cast a quick wind release jutsu to clean the room. He carefully navigated the building till he found the younger brunette and the blonde who the young trio now had as their guardian.

 

Kakashi looked around the room the two women were in before he asked, “So why are you in a bathroom?”

  
  
“Kakashi, first lesson: Never ask a lady that,” said Tsunade as she flicked her adopted son’s eyepatch.

 

The teen stumbled back and nodded, causing the infant to laugh at the sudden motion.

 

“So where’s this room?” Asked Shizune after she and Tsunade had left the small room.

 

“It’s this way,” said the silver haired boy as he began walking the way he’d come through a few hallways back to the large room he’d found earlier.

 

“Perfect,” said Tsunade as she looked around, “Food then sleep. Agreed?”

  
  
“Hai,” said her two wards before they started setting up the bed rolls.

 

 

* * *

“Ah! Minato-kun! We have those supplies and books your kaa-chan wanted in! Here to pick them up?” Asked the middle aged man behind the counter as the boy walked in.

 

“I am indeed, Inaku-san,” said Kakashi, having gotten mostly used to the cover name he was using to hide his identity, as well as the genjutsu he wore to disguise himself, “How is Komara-kun? All better after his fall?”   
  
“Oh indeed he is. He’s practically back to normal after it. Still got a bit longer in the cast. But with Tsunade-sama’s help he’ll be terrorizing you again in no time,” laughed the salt and pepper haired man as he set books on the counter between himself and his customer followed by a large case of tools.

 

“Is the lumber out back like normal?” Asked Kakashi as he sealed the tools and books into a scroll.

 

“So, those books to help make you a medic like your kaa-chan and imouto?” Asked Inaku as he watched the teen work. He’d never get that chakra stuff but it sure seemed useful for the new medics who lived outside town and it helped heal people faster.

 

“Ah no. Medical things like that are too complicated for me,” said Kakashi with an awkward laugh, “All i’m good at is first aid. It's enough to keep people going till okaa-san or Shizune-san arrive. I mostly do stuff around the house to help. Cleaning, repairs, gardening keeping track of our finances.”

 

“Aaaah. What about little Menma-chan? Will he be learning this stuff when he’s older?” Continued Inaku, his curiosity surging forward.

 

“Maybe when he’s older,” chuckled Kakashi as he tied closed the scroll he’d been using, “But as he gets bigger we’ll teach him whatever he wants to learn. And whatever he chooses we’ll support him.”

 

“What about the mask? Think he’ll want to copy you?”

  
  
“Maybe? I wear it to cover some pretty severe scars…. If he wants to, i’m sure okaa-san or Shizune-san can make him a mask like mine,” said Kakashi as he tucked the scroll into his belt, “I’ll grab the wood and be out of your hair Inaku-san. Have a nice day.” He bowed and walked out of the small store as the storekeeper waved to him. The teen circled around to the back of the shop and opened a new scroll to seal the wood into as he thanked the Kami for all the chakra exercises his okaa-san was making him that were increasing his chakra reserves. He added that scroll next to the other and began his walk home, enjoying the silence and peace here. It was so different from home…. But it was nice. He could relax and think without worry of att-

 

 

 

“Kakashi! Catch that kid!” Came the familiar voice of his okaa-san from inside the house, “He’s making a break for it!”

 

The silver haired boy blinked as a giggling high-speed blond blur scrambled down the corridor towards him at a speed that would make many genin jealous, followed by Shizune-san and okaa-san who were both trying (and failing) to catch him and succeeding only in getting in each others’ way, only their ninja reflexes stopping them from measuring their lengths along the ground. Carefully maneuvering himself to get the best, Kakashi moved into the path of his six-month-old brother as he tried to get past and scooped him up, balancing the giggling boy on his hip as Tsunade and Shizune finally caught up.

 

“Is he trying to escape another bath?” Asked Kakashi noting his brother’s distinct lack of clothing.

 

“He is. If he’s this fast now, imagine him being able to run,” laughed Tsunade out of breath after she reached her sons, “Thanks for catching the koishi. He has been eluding us for 5 minutes.”

 

Kakashi internalized a laugh as best he could before his mind tried to fill in Naruto running around on two legs. Oh the boy may have inherited his tou-san’s speed.

 

“He moves like a dog or fox with how he balances. Hopefully he’ll slow down a bit on 2 legs before he speeds up,” said Shizune as she caught her breath.

 

Tsunade took the boy from Kakashi as she said, “Our little koishi is gonna get in trouble if he goes showing off these little whiskers to everyone and i can’t get the damn makeup to look natural.”

 

“Well we could try a mask like mine? It’d take some serious getting used to on his part. But it’d cover up his whispers remarkably well,” said Kakashi, suggesting the idea Inaku had brought up in town.

 

“Hmmmmm….. It could work…. It’d be faster that's for certain, and has less of a chance of getting wiped off…. We’ll try it, when he’s a bit more independent at least. For now out koishi needs to get clean after his runaway misadventures,” said Tsunade as she pressed kisses to the baby’s cheek and walked back towards the bathroom, which had been one of the first rooms they’d finished renovating in the weeks they’d been here.

 

* * *

 

“Done with that scroll Kakashi-san?” Asked Shizune as she hopped down from the wall where she’d been organizing books on higher shelves of their rather expansive library.

 

“Yeah, got the most basic of basic elemental jutsus transcribed into all of these scrolls. They’re ready to get catalogued like all the others,” said Kakashi as he leaned back, stretching arms over his head till he heard a satisfying cracking sound as he worked out the stiffness he’d gained from sitting still for so long.

 

“Ok. I’ll put them on their appropriate shelves later. Thank you for doing this Kakashi-san. I know remembering it all must be tiring,” said Shizune as she cleared away the supplies the older teen had been using. 

 

“..... i’m curious Kakashi-san, do you know any of Minato-san’s techniques? Or Kushina-san’s? For if Naruto wants to learn them when he’s older,” Asked the young medical ninja after several moments of silence.

 

“I know some. Mostly from Sensei, though Kushina-san liked stopping by to teach us when Minato-sensei got busy. But even if i have to break into their mansion in Konoha with a vial of Naruto’s blood, he’ll have his legacy. He deserves that much,” said Kakashi softly.

 

“Okaa-san and I can probably get it easier than you. Even with the genjutsu you wear, the mask is a dead giveaway who you are,” said Shizune with a chuckle though she knew the silver haired Sharingan wielder wasn’t joking. He never joked about the future of their baby brother, though based off what she’d heard from both him and okaa-san, he was right to be so serious about a future that might never have had a chance to happen.

 

“That’s true….. I suppose i’ll need to leave it to you then if you visit Konoha in the near future. If you do…. Can you…. Can you pay respects at Sensei and Kushina-san’s graves for us…. I never had a chance to do that….” Asked Kakashi softly, looking down at his palms. It had been several months since the terrible attack, but he felt guilty at not being able to be there when Minato-sensei and Kushina-san had been buried.

 

“Of course we will. If you want, you can give me flowers to put there. I’m sure they’d like that,” said Shizune as she patted the teen’s back.

 

“Arigato,” murmured Kakashi.

 

* * *

 

After several hours of sorting books and transcribing the most basic of basic jutsu, Shizune and Kakashi walked to the kitchen, stopping when they saw Tsunade and Naruto asleep in front of the large bay window in their central room. The setting sun was backlighting the scene beautifully and Shizune hurried off to find the camera they’d gotten to make an album for Naruto. Her return came a few moments later, the piece of technology in her hands as she lined their okaa-san and little brother up in the viewfinder before snapping the photo, which was followed by Tsunade’s eye opening slowly at the noise to see her two older children standing the door, on holding the camera.

 

“ _ For the album, _ ” mouthed Shizune, holding up the camera.

 

The buxom blonde let out a sigh before nodding and realizing she’d need to move so they could put Naruto in his crib. She motioned for Kakashi to come take Naruto so her sitting up wouldn’t startle him awake make him start crying.

 

Kakashi nodded at the signal and came from, carefully lifting his brother off their okaa-san’s chest and arranging him to be comfortably in his arms before he started to go upstairs.

 

When he was out of the room, Shizune said, “He wants us to leave flowers at Minato-san and Kushina-san’s grave next time we go to Konohagakure.”

 

“Then we should go soon. I have some business i need to handle there anyway. Best get it out of the way sooner than later. Start packing us some clothes and get a vial of Naruto’s blood to be safe,” said Tsunade as she stood, “We’re heading for Konoha the day after tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love and hugs for reading chapter two! Hope y'all can leave me some constructive criticism so i can see where i need to improve.


	3. Visiting Old Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade and Shizune make a trip to Konoha to visit some familiar places. And come out with a lot more stuff than they really expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N & Disclaimer: Soooooooo I’m rewriting an old fic I adopted from an extremely talented author. I don’t own Boruto’s Dad or it's characters. I just own my plot after the chapters I’m rewriting.

_ ~In the Village of Konohagauke~ _

 

“Tsunade, my dear student, it’s been too long,” said Hiruzen as he stood, a practiced smile that Tsunade hid a deep sadness was gracing the Hokage’s face.

 

Tsunade reflexively moved around the desk to look at her sensei, her pride as a med-nin kicking in as she asked, “Sensei, are you not taking care of yourself? You look terrible. Your chakra is unbalanced and you look like you’ve been starving yourself and not sleeping.”

 

“The last few months have been difficult, Tsunade. Danzo has gone missing, and I have needed to integrate his ROOT, as many as I could find, into the normal ranks. This is a job for a far younger man, my dear,” said Hiruzen, his voice was the embodiment of exhausted though he was trying to hide it, “Is your niece with you?”   
  
“She is, but she’s paying her respects at Dan’s grave then she’s going to visit the Kyuubi memorial. Then she was thinking of walking past the Namikaze place. I remember visiting Minato with her a few times there when Dan was on missions,” said Tsunade truthfully as she worked to help ease her sensei’s pain.

 

“I added three names to that memorial myself. Namikaze Minato, Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. I failed them Tsunade… I failed all three of them….”

 

“You did your best Sarutobi-sensei. The village knows young Naruto and his parents died saving them from a monster that few survive. They know he’s a hero,” said Tsunade softly, “They know he was betrayed by a man who wanted to change us all into monsters. How did that dai-hentai take it?”

 

“Jiraiya is looking for any other connections to who caused it. The toads are apparently being cryptic about something,” said Hiruzen as Tsunade worked to ease the unbalanced chakra.

 

“Oh? About what?”   
  
“Whenever he asks about what happened to Naruto, they always say he was lost. They don’t say dead, merely lost,” said the Hokage as his eyes shut.

 

Tsunade bit her cheek sharply to avoid letting out a sharp breath that could let out knowledge she’d rather keep private.

 

“Do you want to hear something funny? In the last few months, we’ve had 12 boys named Naruto and 4 girls named Naruko born.”

 

Tsunade let out a chuckle before she said, “Kushina would have died laughing. Imagine the SCHOOLS when they’re old enough.”

 

“She would. Minato would be exasperated. And I’m sure the Jiraiya would be proud, even if most of the parents don’t know that it came from his least successful book,” said Sarutobi with a matching chuckle and another sad smile. “How’ve you been Tsunade, since you left Konoha? I heard that you settled in Nami no Kuni.”

 

“I’ve been ok. I adopted a couple of orphans. I also decided to open a hospital, though I don’t do much surgery. The villagers are happy to have a medic, and Shizune has a friend her age and a baby brother. Though i think Shizune might be developing a crush on the older boy,” said Tsunade as she moved to be back on the other side of the desk, now being closer to the door.

 

“If that boy of yours has any talent for ninjutsu train him. Maybe he can replace me. I didn’t want this job back…”

 

“You’ll find someone to replace you soon sensei. I have faith that you will,” said Tsunade reassuringly as Shizune peeked her head into the office. The blonde motioned the young girl in and she came to stand next to the sannin after she gave a polite bow to Sarutobi.

 

“Are you planning to stay here for a couple days, Tsunade? I’d enjoy having more time to catch up with you,” said the Hokage.

 

“Of course, Sarutobi-sensei. I’m sure Shizune would like to catch up with a few of her old classmates,” said Tsunade, “My boys can take care of themselves for a couple more days.”

 

* * *

 

Somewhere in Nami no Kuni

 

Kakashi sneezed as he ran after his currently escaping brother. He swore this child had an aversion to baths and a love of escaping. He’d be a terrible toddler to contain!

 

* * *

 

“Did you leave the flowers and show Minato and Kushina the album?” Asked Tsunade after she had ensured their hotel room had enough silence seals to prevent eavesdropping.

 

“I did. I told them about how Kakashi-san and Naruto were doing and I gave them the flowers he sealed for them,” said the brown-haired genin as she took a seat on one of the beds.

 

“That’s good. I’m sure they loved it. Tonight we’ll try and get into Minato and Kushina’s home to get as many of their supplies as we can,” said Tsunade as she pulled out a large pile of sealing scrolls from their bag.

 

“Should we both go together…? It could be suspicious if we’re both missing,” said Shizune as she set their bag on the bed next to her to start retrieving supplies.

 

“This is a place where we won’t be suspected of visiting a place we both have memories of. And no one will notice that we’ve even gone inside if we do this quickly enough,” said Tsunade reassuringly.

 

“If you say so,” said Shizune as she changed into darker clothes and grabbed the vials that held Naruto’s blood for when they encountered blood seals.

 

The pair of kunoichi hopped out the window and began running across roofs to the outskirts of Konoha where Minato had settled his family after deciding the Namikaze manor was far too much for his small family, carefully avoiding the paths of patrolling shinobi.

 

The dirty blonde dropped down in front of the mid-sized home. She let out a long breath and grabbed one of the iron rods making up the gate carefully before yanking it back to see a series of faint burns. Her amber eyes began scanning the gate before resting on the central sigil. The Namikaze had never been a large clan, more another offshoot of Senju but they’d made a decent name for themselves when Minato had revealed himself as a prodigy. The boy would hide the seal in plain sight.

 

Shizune handed a vial of blood over to her mother when she held a hand out and watched as she poured the blood over the sigil of a rolling thunderstorm. Her eyes widened slightly as the gates creaked open.

 

“We should hurry. We don’t want to be seen with the gates open,” said Tsunade as she corked the half-empty vial and walked up to the home where she’d spent many an afternoon with the dark-haired girl. They walked swiftly up to the steps and pushed the door open.

 

Shizune looked around the home wistfully, remembering times just playing with Minato and Kushina, watching them get ready for Naruto’s birth. Now it was empty and dusty…. They couldn’t even bring Naruto anything from here because it would reveal that the home had been broken into.

 

“I’ll start in the basement. Shizune, you can go look in the library,” said Tsunade, snapping the brunette out of her reverie as she was handed sealing scrolls.

 

The sannin began to head to the basement where she knew Minato and Kushina had stored their weapons. She expected to find a lot of Hiraishin kunai down here. She lit a candle and began opening cabinets, finding scrolls upon scrolls of sealed kunai but then a scroll made of red paper caught her eye, a very familiar shade of red. She opened the scroll all the way to reveal one single seal. Her interest piqued, she pushed chakra into the seal and saw a wakizashi, the sheath a deep red with gold embossing settle on the workbench. No… no, it couldn’t be…. Kushina’s sword had been lost hadn’t it… She resealed the blade and began sealing the scrolls into another, whistling at the sheer quantity of prepared Hiraishin kunai Minato had kept stored at all times. She hoped she had enough scrolls with her for this.

 

Upstairs, Shizune was looking around the library and let out a long breath. She had her work cut out for her, didn’t she? Best get started. The trainee med-nin began gathering as many scrolls as possible to start the process.

 

By the time morning had rolled around, Shizune was exhausted. Dozens of scrolls nested into each other. That’s all she had. And she still had some she’d need to carry if her kaa-san didn’t have more scrolls to carry this all.

 

The older woman came upstairs carrying all her scrolls as she said, “Minato and Kushina have far more in the way of weapons than i thought. Did you have enough scrolls?”

 

“No…. there’s still like, 80 scrolls…” said Shizune as she looked at her mother.

 

“Ok well, we still need to check this floor quickly. You rest, I’ll see what I can find to carry those,” said Tsunade as she walked to see the rest of the home’s first story, finding a small office a scroll open on the desk. Her eyes widened as she began reading the careful calligraphy on the scroll, recognizing it as a storage seal, but one she’d never seen. She carefully rested a hand on the paper and pushed chakra out causing a stack of 30 scrolls to appear. Had her…. Had her cousin invented a new more efficient storage seal that could hold more? “Shizune! Come back here and bring those scrolls! I may have found a solution!”

 

Shizune stood and came back and looked at the pile of scrolls on the desk before she asked, “What…. How…?”   
  
“Minato was a prodigy. An unparalleled genius. He made a new storage seal before he died. This is the answer. Grab all the scrolls. There might be enough seals on this scroll to carry all of our things back at once,” said Tsunade as she resealed all the other scrolls at once, revealing the scroll beneath that was covered in more identical small storage seals.

 

“I…. how did he find time between his work and doting on Kushina-san?”   
  
“Never underestimate a man who needs space I guess?” Asked Tsunade before she began retrieving all the other scrolls to store them. This had made their lives easier.

 

The pair eventually left the Namikaze house and resealed the doors, hoping no one noticed the fact the seal was newer. They began their slow walk back to their hotel discussing things that had changed in Konoha since the attack and the start of restoration. Their old home was becoming something new, and it would be interesting visiting and seeing all the changes in the future. Their only remaining task was going to be to claim all the Senju texts and then send back copies but for now, they’d rest and remember the people they’d lost before heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more from me. *bleps* Hopefully, this makes sense? Ask questions in the comments. Constructive criticism, as always, is welcome.


	4. The Family Grows Larger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two more for the growing Senju brood a la a trip to Mizu no Kuni. And Kakashi cannot cook to save his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i'm saving two characters i loved from part one. Hope y'all stick with me to see where i go with this.

 

_ ~Three Years After Moving to Nami no Kuni~ _

 

“Kakashi, care to explain why you are holding two young children right now?” Asked Tsunade when her son walked into the waiting room for their family’s expanding hospital.

 

“Because they got tired?” Said the silver haired teen questioningly, hoping to deflect.

 

“I see that. Why did you bring them here? They don’t look like village kids,” said the blonde.

 

“Oh. They’re not. They’re from Mizu no Kuni,” said Kakashi as he set the two toddlers down on seats.

 

“Ok. May i ask why you have children from Mizu no Kuni?”

 

“They were being abused. There are some more people in the village too, but these two didn’t have family and they needed more help than the village could provide,” said the teen.

 

“How many is some more Senju Minato Kakashi?” Asked Tsunade as she stood and went to examine to two boys.

 

“Uh…. about 50 or so? I couldn’t leave them to fend for themselves after their villages had been burned,” said Kakashi, no longer trying to avoid the questions.

 

“And why did these two need more care? Are they ill?”

 

“No, they have Kekkei Genkai. Strong ones at that,” said Kakashi as he looked at the white haired boy and the black haired boy sleeping next to each other.

 

Tsunade let out a sigh then bent over to examine the boys more closely. The white haired boy was of the Kaguya clan based off the two distinct red dots he bore on his forehead. Hopefully he wouldn’t inherit the negative traits in his blood. The other child felt cold to the touch which made her worry as she asked, “Why is this one so cold? I feel like i should warm him up.”

 

“He uses Hyouton. At least from what i saw before i interrupted his father from trying to kill him,” said Kakashi.

 

“Ok so the body temp- Wait. He? And his father tried to KILL him? Mizu no Kuni is full of absolute idiots,” murmured Tsunade as she stood, “Well i guess we have 2 more children for our menagerie. I’ll go find Shizune and Naruto to introduce them. Can you wake them up?”   
  
“Yeah,” said Kakashi as the woman walked out. The teen crouched and carefully shook the two boys shoulders’ to awaken them

 

The black haired boy stirred first, rubbing his eyes and looking around, fear in his eyes.

 

“You're ok Haku. You're safe here,” said Kakashi softly as he tousled the boy's hair, “Can you help me wake up Kimimaro?”

 

Haku nodded, still uncertain about being safe, and pressed a cold hand to the back of the other boy's neck causing him to bolt upright to get away from the cold.

 

“You'll be useful waking up your new baby brother,” chuckled Kakashi as Tsunade returned carrying a small boy in a mask similar to Kakashi’s and followed by a black haired girl.

 

Haku hid behind Kakashi and peeked out from behind him when the new people walked into the room.

 

“Haku, it's ok. These people are my family, they’ll be your family now too,” said the tall man gently.

 

“It's nice to meet you Haku,” said Shizune as she crouched to be eye level with the boy, “My name is Shizune.”

 

Haku looked at the women quietly, before he nodded.

 

“Well i’m Tsunade you can call me whatever you want. This little rascal is Naruto. He’ll probably terrorize you,” chuckled Tsunade as she set down the masked boy who toddled over to the two other boys.

 

Kimimaro looked at the strangers and bowed politely before he said, “I’m Kimimaro.”   
  
“Kakashi, show these two to a room for now,” said Tsunade, hiding a chuckle as Naruto clutched onto the sleeves of the two older boys’ kimono, “Make that three.”

 

“Hai hai,” said Kakashi with a grin under his mask as he led the three interlinked children up to Naruto’s playroom where the boy proceeded to start shoving toys into their hands.

 

The silver haired shinobi chuckled before he walked towards the library to transcribe more jutsu he’d learned in Mizu no Kuni, as well as drop off several scrolls he’d liberated from various sources. His brother would win over the two other boys easily enough, Naruto just had that effect on others.

  
  


* * *

 

Tsunade chuckled when she went upstairs to check on Naruto. Apparently all three boys decided to sleep and cuddle together after their little stormwind had exhausted them. She entered silently and draped them all with a blanket, noticing that Kimimaro and Haku were curled protectively around the small blond.

 

Shizune looked up when Tsunade entered the hospital before asking, “Are they all ok?”   
  
“I think he won them over. Just like he wins over everyone,” chuckled Tsunade as she took a look at the chart of patients waiting at the moment.

 

“That’s hardly a surprise by this point, okaa-san,” Came the quip from the black haired medic as she mixed medicines.

 

“A fair point my girl,” said the sannin, “For now we’ll help them adjust, and get them clothes tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

Kakashi went to move the boys into beds when he noticed that both Haku and Kimimaro had abandoned their places cuddled around Naruto, though he supposed his okaa-san may have been exaggerating.

 

“You two ok?” Asked Kakashi as he moved to sit near them as they looked out the large window.

 

“Why’d you save us….?” Asked Kimimaro, his green eyes piercing in an unusual way for a child so young.

 

“Because no one should be hurt like that. Not by people meant to care for them,” said Kakashi, having learned that lesson from just 3 years living as a proper family again.

 

“Then what do i do?” Asked the Kaguya, having been used to being assigned tasks.

 

“Do? Be a kid i suppose. That is what you are. Nothing complex,” said the copy-nin, “Do you have questions Haku?”

 

The black haired boy shook his head after several moments of thought.

 

Kakashi nodded and said, “Well for now, do you two want food? I’m sure i can convince Shizune-san to make us some food since you two haven’t eaten since i got you here.”

 

Both boys exchanged looks then followed the older boy down to the kitchen.

 

“I take it you’re here for food?” Chuckled Shizune as she prepared food for later in the day and noticed the 3 enter.

 

“Hai,” said Kimimaro as he pulled himself onto a seat.

 

“Well i’ll make you something fast since i’m sure Kakashi-san tried to feed you and failed miserably on the way to bring you here,” deadpanned the medic to the mostly veiled frown of the other teen.

 

The green eyed child watched the interaction that began between Kakashi and Shizune quietly, his mind trying to figure out their relationship. He internally shrugged and waited for his food patiently.

 

The dark haired teen set out  two plates with onigiri before she said, “Dig in.”

 

The Kaguya picked up the onigiri first and took a bite, before eating a bit more vigorously which got the young Hyouton user to follow suit.

 

“Well, that’s a good sign for their ability to recover,” said Shizune softly to Kakashi as they watched.

 

“Yeah. I’ll go see if Naru-”

 

The silver haired shinobi’s sentence was interrupted by a voice crying from upstairs.

 

“And there it is. He probably wonders where his playmates are. I’ll go grab him,” said Kakashi as he stood to walk upstairs after getting curious looks from Haku and Kimimaro.

 

“So, did he try to cook for you all on the way back from Mizu no Kuni?” Asked Shizune when he was out of earshot.

 

Haku nodded gravely at the question.

 

“Oh dear…. How bad did it turn out?”

 

“He set water on fire….. And turned the rabbit weird colors somehow….” said Kimimaro after a few moments of thought, “Is that even possible?”   
  
“For Kakashi-san it is. He’s a talented shinobi, but he absolutely cannot cook to save his own life,” chuckled Shizune as she set out some more food for the two boys.

 

“Talking about my inability to cook?” Queried the eyepatched teen as he returned holding Naruto in his arms, having ditched the boy’s mask for now. 

 

Naruto patted his brother’s shoulder then gestured at Kimimaro and Haku as if asking to be set back down by them, which Kakashi complied with.

 

“Indeed we are. I am very glad we have banned you from cooking,” said the medic dryly as Naruto tried to get up to sit next to his new friends.

 

“Do you need some help getting up there?” Asked Kakashi.

 

“No! I do it!” Said the small boy with a bright smile as he climbed up onto the seat Haku was on.

 

Haku scooched over sos the young boy had more room and continued eating.

 

Tsunade entered the kitchen and saw all the kids eating before she said, “Well i’d like some coffee before i go back to treating more sore throats.”

 

“Hai, okaa-san,” said Shizune as she set to filling the coffee pot.

 

The sannin took a seat across from Kimimaro, Haku and her son before she said, “Did you two have fun playing with Naruto? I know he’s a whirlwind when he gets going.”

 

“It was fun,” said Kimimaro softly, “I wasn’t allowed to play before.”

 

“Well feel free to play as MUCH as you want. I’m sure Naruto will enjoy having playmates closer to his age,” said the woman as she stretched her arms above her head.

 

After a few minutes with only Naruto’s chatter filling the space as he held conversations with the two other boys, Shizune set a mug of coffee in front of her mother.

 

“Kaa-cha', play?” Asked the toddler looking at his mother.

 

“Not right now, koishi. But we can play after i’m done with work today. Is that ok?” Asked Tsunade after she took a long drink of her beverage.

 

“Hmm…… okie!” Smiled the toddler, his grin seeming to brighten the room slightly.

 

“I thank you for your leave to ,” chuckled Tsunade with a slight bow to her young son.

 

Naruto nodded and resumed chattering with Kimimaro and Haku, his world filling with people who were swiftly being wrapped around his tiny fingers. 

 

“I wonder if he realizes,” murmured Kakashi as he moved to stand closer to Shizune.

 

“Realizes what?” Asked the girl.

 

“How many people he has wrapped into his life in ways that mean they won’t be able to leave. How very loved he is,” said the teen.

 

“We’ll make sure he knows how loved he is. Because Minato-san and Kushina-san would have wanted that for him,” replied the kunoichi, “Now shoo before you jinx dinner.”

 

Kakashi chuckled and held up his hands in surrender before moving away from the stove. He didn’t want the women getting mad at him for ruining dinner. His mother would increase his training again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love and hugs for reading chapter four! Hope y'all can leave me some constructive criticism so i can see where i need to improve.


	5. New friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious visitor raises trouble at the clinic, and the adults are less than pleased with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usual disclaimer yada yada yada. Have fun with this. Author is extremely sorry she was so late posting, been in a real writing funk and i'm trying to snap out of it.

“Haku! No! Freezing! Naruto!” Scolded Shizune as she watched over the children playing. She was the babysitter of the day since Kakashi was currently working on the roof of their small clinic/hospital situation with Tazuna and their mother was seeing patients.

 

“Why?” Asked Haku, looking at the girl, his head tilted curiously.

 

“Because frostbite can very seriously injure a young child,” said the brunette sternly.

 

“Why? He heals really fast.”

 

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel pain Haku. You need to remember that,” said Shizune as she rolled up the scroll she’d been reading.

 

Haku frowned then looked over at where Naruto and Kimimaro were waiting for him before shrugging and running back to play with them, immediately forgetting what he needed to remember.

 

The kunoichi let out a sigh and began rotating her shoulder slowly. Between her med-nin training and her regular training, the girl was having all kinds of sore joints and exhaustion issues. She was honestly glad for the break she was getting today.

 

“Nee-chan?” Asked Naruto as he toddled over, confused by she looked so tired at that moment.

 

“I’m ok Naru. Promise. Nee-chan is just tired,” smiled the girl as she tousled the small boy’s sunshine blond hair, “Go back to playing with Maro and Haku.”

 

The boy frowned through the mask he wore, the scowl looking shockingly reminiscent of Kakashi, though given how much the boy looked up to the silver haired shinobi, she supposed she couldn’t be anything near surprised or shocked by it.

 

Her vigilance began waning as her tiredness began to catch up to her and she nodded off periodically.

 

The boys barely seemed to noticed, all too busy playing with each other.

 

* * *

 

-In the woods near the Senju home-

 

Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, was bored. He was extremely bored. He’d been wandering the nations doing work whenever he’d get hired, so he had no idea why he decided to come to Nami no Kuni. It was a nothing country. The only thing of note was rumors that couldn’t possibly be true. His senses pinged a set of strong chakra signatures which he began heading towards slowly. He dropped the bag he held his supplies in and readied a hand on the hilt of Kubikiribōchō in case it was enemy ninja before he jumped into the canopy of a tree to see what he’d sensed.

 

His dark brown eyes observed three children, all of which seemed to be fucking chakra wells. He’d trained for YEARS to get a chakra pool half that damn size. The Kami were cruel if they thought that was fair. His eyes narrowed when one of the kids created a small ball of ice that he began manipulating into different shapes, laughing with the other two boys as he began making funnier shapes.

 

“Hmmmm,” was the only sound from the jonin’s mouth as he continued to observe, spotting a girl sleeping nearby the kids. Caretaker? Probable. But she didn’t look tough. He could nab three kids easy, right? He tugged off his bandages, revealing shark-like teeth before he ran through the hand seals and breathed out, creating a dense mist around him and over the area where his new targets were. He shunshined into a tree and began observing again, seeing if any of the kids would either react or if more adults would come to see what was wrong. After a few calm minutes where the boys continued playing happily he dropped down and grabbed the smallest of the three boys’, covering his mouth before he said, “I expect all three of you to not make a sound. Or else.”

 

The two other children nodded before Zabuza bound all three of their mouths efficiently, though he was baffled by the mask on the blond. Suppose he couldn’t judge considering his preference for bandages. When he finished he picked up all three children he two smaller held under his dominant arm and the one he assumed to be the oldest under his other. He jumped back into the mist and back towards his gear. Best get moving quickly so he wouldn’t get tailed.

  
  


* * *

 

-In the Senju Clinic-

 

Tsunade tensed when she felt the chakra presences of the three young boys start getting farther away rapidly. She stood and looked at her patient as she said, “Pardon me. I need to go check on my boys. They like to go off and make mischief.”

 

“Take your time Senju-san. I completely understand,” said the woman with a knowing nod and chuckle.

 

Tsunade nodded back and walked out of the house before she shouted, “Minato! Shizune!”

 

The brunette stirred from her lap at the shouting and blanched when she saw that the boys were gone. Had she….. Had she fallen asleep?

 

Kakashi dropped down off the roof quietly at his mother's call, a questioning look in his one visible eye before he noted the lack of the three toddlers. Oh no. Oh no this was bad. 

 

“Where did they go? They were here a minute ago,” said Shizune, a frown maring her face.

 

“Well start looking. I refuse to lose people i care about,” said the blonde, her tone of voice icy cold and her expression calm.

 

Shizune froze and backed away before saying, “I’ll go east, try to track their chakra.”

 

“If you find them signal us however you can. We’ll do the same,” said Tsunade, to which Shizune nodded before running off towards the east.

 

Kakashi tugged down his mask, bit his thumb and ran through a series of 5 hand signs before slamming his hand onto the ground and calling, “ **Kuchiyose no jutsu** !”   
  


Three dogs wearing dark green vests with faces in white appeared wearing blank hitai’ate appeared. The smallest of the three, a young pug looked up and asked, “What do you need?”

 

“Pakkun, I need you to find someone. Three boys actually. I’ll go grab something with their scents,” said Kakashi as he ran into the house, tugging his mask back up. He entered Naruto’s room, grabbing a shirt the small boy liked to wear  and ran back outside, offering the shirt to the three ninken.

 

The pug looked up when the shinobi returned holding a dark orange shirt.

 

“This belongs to one of them. Hopefully they’re all together so you just need to follow one scent,” said Kakashi as he crouched and offered the shirt to the three ninken.

 

Pakkun and the two others began sniffing the shirt before the pug said, “Akino, go west. Shiba, go north. Kakashi and i will head east.”

 

“Someone is already checking the east,” said Tsunade at that point, her brown eyes scanning the woods despite knowing she’d find nothing of what she searched for.

 

“South it is then. Come on,” said Pakkun as he stood. The brown sunglasses dog took off to the west and the grey dog took off north before Kakashi followed the pug south.

 

Tsunade let out a long breath before she thought, ‘If anything hurts those boys, whoever did it won’t be able to walk.’ She cracked her knuckles and jumped off to aid the search by flaring her senses like her grand-uncle had taught her.

 

* * *

 

-Deep in the woods of Nami no Kuni-

 

Zabuza looked at the three boys quietly, planning his next move. The smallest of the three was bawling his eyes out, much to the former Kiri-nin’s annoyance. He clicked his tongue in annoyance before he said, “Shut the brat up.”

 

The green eyed one glared at him fiercely, the killing intent dripping from such young eyes could only have been learned by exposure to bloodshed. He had promise.

 

Haku rested his head on Naruto’s shoulder and began humming softly, trying to calm the boy who was rapidly becoming one of his best friends in the world. He was sure Kakashi, Tsunade and Shizune would find them. They could be trusted right?

 

Kimimaro moved to be as in front of the two younger boys as he could, his glare still planted firmly in his green eyes. He wouldn’t let this person hurt Haku or Naruto. They were innocent. He looked out into the woods, seeing if there was anything he could try to use to protect the other boys.

 

“Stop lookin’. You won’t find anything,” said Zabuza dryly as he sharpened his Kubikiribōchō, the act muscle memory for him. Best plan was to get the kids out of Nami no Kuni and find a place to hunker down for a while. He might still have some bolt holes in Mizu, so that would be his first stop.

 

Akino stopped when he picked up the trail from the orange shirt. He slowed and began more thoroughly searching for the scent, not wanting to miss a divergence in the trail. After several more minutes of following he spotted the group through several bushes. He nodded briefly and ran back several dozen meters before throwing his head back in a long howl, partially dislodging his sunglasses.

 

* * *

 

Pakkun froze when he heard the howl, causing Kakashi to stumble.

 

“What is it, Pakkun?” Asked the silver haired man, getting anxious at the sound of the howl and the ninken’s lack of movement.

 

“Akino found them. They’re pretty far west based off how far off that howl was,” said Pakkun before he turned and started running towards the howl.

 

“I can get to Akino. You go get okaa-san and Shizune-san as quickly as you can. Get Shiba if you need to,” said Kakashi as he bolted himself, little hesitation in his actions.

 

Pakkun observed for a few moments before nodding at no one and heading towards the closer of the two female scents.

 

Kakashi’s movements were precise to a fault as he moved, his body on autopilot as he ran towards the brown and white ninken’s location.

 

* * *

 

Akino looked up when the three shinobi dropped down and said, “They’re 5 minutes west. The guy who took them is wearing bandages, camo and stripes. He smells like bloody water. He’s got a HUGE knife too.” The ninken’s face scrunched in disgust before he was dispelled with a nod of gratitude.

 

“Bloody water, bandages, camo, stripes…. A Kirigakure shinobi? Huge knife…. Huge knife...” Murmured Kakashi as he ran through options in his head. His one visible eye narrowed when a face popped into his head. A few moments of thought before he slammed his fist into the earth, his raiton flaring to augment his strength, a canine growl escaping his lips.

 

“What?” Asked Tsunade when she noticed her son punch his fist mid-forearm into the ground.

 

“It’s Momochi Zabuza. The Kirigakure no Kijin,” muttered Kakashi as he looked over at the two women.

 

Tsunade clicked her tongue in irritation before she cracked her knuckles. “Shizune, you get the boys and get them out. We’ll talk later about your nap. Kakashi, you’re going to help me distract this Zabuza.”

 

Shizune nodded, looking slightly ashamed that her lapse that allowed the boys to be kidnapped before she began suppressing her chakra.

 

Tsunade let out a long breath and stood straight up. She cracked her knuckles and began walking towards the camp, Kakashi on her heels.

 

Zabuza’s head snapped up when he felt a flare of chakra. That was fast. He ran through a series of hand seals, creating a new mist drowning the area. He grabbed his Kubikiribōchō and jumped into the mist before he said, “Well well well, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”   


  
“This is a house call. I’ve been told there are legs in need of breaking,” said Tsunade as Kakashi used a strong fuuton jutsu to blow away the mist for a few moments, revealing the brown eyed amber woman who stood with arms crossed resolutely.

 

Zabuza’s eyes narrowed as he summoned more mist, denser and more chakra packed as he tried to figure a way out of this. End it fast, that was the best option.

 

Tsunade motioned for Kakashi to move, planting her feet shoulder width apart before crossing her arms under her chest. She’d intervene if necessary, but this would be a good test to see how her son was progressing under her tutelage.

 

The argent ninja nodded and began searching in the mist for his opponent. He really had to do well if he didn’t want his mother to hurt him by increasing his training, again. He flared his senses as broadly into the mist as he could, trying to sense a denser cluster than normal.

 

“Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, clavicle vein, kidneys and the heart are the eight vital points on the human body. Which ones to use on you?” Murmured the bloody thirsty demon, his voice echoing as Kakashi tried to pinpoint him.

 

The Kiri-nin tensed his muscles and spun his sword out at Kakashi, the long blade spiralling through the woods with relative ease due to the sheer weight chopping down several small trees before lodging itself deep into a large tree.

 

Kakashi ducked quickly and his hand went to pull off his eyepatch to reveal the swirling black on red of his Sharingan. He began scanning the mist quickly, jumping swiftly onto the side of a tree as several shuriken embedded themselves in the ground from behind him. A rush of wind was the only sign that something rushed past him.

 

Zabuza grabbed the handle of Kubikiribōchō as he dashed past it, using his momentum to swing up and stand on the hilt to observe Kakashi from the front, crouching on the tube of metal. If the broad wasn’t gonna fight he could ignore her. He hopped down, his hand latching back onto the hilt to drag the sword down with him so he was now crouched on the ground, the blade of his knife half buried into the ground. He altered his grip and rushed forward, slashing up to lodge his blade into the side of Sharingan no Kakashi, only to curse when the focus of his attack vanished in a puff of smoke. Kage bunshin… He went to retreat into the mist when he felt a kunai at his throat. He slacked his grip on Kubikiribōchō, allowing the blade to embed itself into the ground.

 

Kakashi kept the kunai carefully where he had it, not trusting the Kiri-nin’s acceptance easily.

 

Zabuza smirked under his bandages and altered his grip on Kubikiribōchō again, this time using it as a platform to dropkick Kakashi, pushing the silver man back several feet and forcing him to cough as he swung around to get out of the grip.

 

“The famous copy-nin, coughing after that? I’m truly disappointed,” said Zabuza mockingly as he tugged Kubikiribōchō from the ground and rested the heft of the blade across his shoulders.

 

Kakashi let out a long breath. His ribs felt bruised from that. That wouldn’t be fun to explain to his mom. He pulled a new kunai and silently observed Zabuza.

 

Zabuza ran through a series of hand signs, his chakra flaring before he said, “ **Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri** !”

 

“ **Doton: Doryuheki!** ” Kakashi flew through the hand seals before he slammed his hands onto the ground, raising a large wall in front of him to try and block the incoming attack his Sharingan had already copied. Well that would certainly be useful. He glanced over to where the boys had been, sighing with relief that they weren’t there. He could get more serious. The wall crumbled and he began to run through more hand seals, his eyes tracking Zabuza as the man ran forward.

 

Zabuza swung Kubikiribōchō at Kakashi’s head, focusing on ending the fight as quickly as possible.

 

The silver nin’s hand shot out to grab the blade, the edge digging though not nearly as much as the mercenary expected before Ka kashi said, “ **Raiton: Sandāboruto** .” Crackles of electricity began racing up the blade before Zabuza dropped the weapon and lept back. The former Hatake cradled his hand to his chest before he looked at it. Too injured to continue… damn….

 

“Good job, Kakashi. I’ll handle it from here,” said Tsunade noticing the prodigy now cradling his hand. She rolled her shoulders and neck before she began cracking her knuckles. “Do you know the worst kind of person to anger, Momochi Zabuza?” She began advancing at a pace that seemed slow, but ate the ground between the pair rapidly.

 

“Enlighten me,” said the former Shichinin nonchalantly.

 

“The worst person to anger…. Is a mother!” Said Tsunade before she pulled her fist back and slammed it down into the ground, creating a crater. Kakashi had reacted an instant before impact to shunshin away thanks to his Sharingan, Zabuza had no such advantage and as such as sent tumbling as he tried to maintain balance. The sannin took advantage of his lapse in focus to rush forward and grab his neck.

 

Zabuza gagged and let out a long wheeze as his throat was being crushed. He grabbed at Tsunade’s hand and tried to pull it away, though the attempt was futile.

 

“I’m going to give you two options. Gather information for us from the hidden villages and report back. Or I’ll break every single bone in your body, heal them and then break them again before i leave you somewhere alone far away from anyone who could help you. Do we have a deal?” Asked Tsunade coolly, though there was a fierce protective anger in her eyes, “Nod if you’re up to the task.”

 

Zabuza looked the woman in the eye, recognizing the serious intent there. He nodded feebly before he was dropped onto the ground and began coughing loudly.

 

“If you decide to betray us, or harm my children again, you will never, and i mean NEVER be able to walk or hold anything again. Understood?” Asked Tsunade as she dusted off her hands.

 

* * *

 

_ ~A Few Minutes Before~ _

 

Shizune untied the three boys after she had them set down on the porch of their home as she said, “I’m sorry…. I’m so so sorry… I let you all down…”

 

Naruto hugged Shizune tightly, hiding his tearstained face in her black kimono.

 

“It’s ok…. Nee-san,” murmured Kimimaro as he also moved to hug the brunette, though his was far more awkward than the hug of the blond sunshine child.

 

Haku sat net to Shizune and leaned against her quietly. He let out a long breath and his eyes drifted shut. The brunette twisted to hug Haku too.

 

She hugged them all tightly one more time before she looked back at the direction she had fled from. She had faith her mother and Kakashi-san would be alright. Logically she knew they would be…. But she didn’t want to lose anyone else she cared about…

 

Her brown eyes were drawn down to the three kids before she began humming to them, wanting to help calm down the boys. She smoothed her hand up and down small backs, trying to cooth the distressed chakra of the two younger boys.

 

She was still trying to sooth the mass of chakra when Kakashi-san and their mother returned. “I can’t get Naruto to calm down… his chakra is too distressed.”

 

Tsunade nodded and claimed the toddler from Shizune and enveloped him in her chakra, infusing her chakra with calm emotions to try and soothe the boy gently.

 

“Okaa-san… will Naruto be ok?” Asked Kimimaro softly as he looked at Tsunade.

 

Tsunade blinked for a moment before a soft smile covered her face and she said, “Of course he will be, Kimimaro. You and Haku were very brave for staying calm like you did and not panicking. Thank you for trying to protect your baby brother. But if you need to cry, it’s ok. Everyone needs to.”

 

Kimimaro’s jade green eyes began to tear up at the ok from the woman before he flung himself into Kakashi’s arms to bury his face in the man’s stomach and cry.

 

Haku’s tears were far more subtle, like the boy’s emotions tended to be, but he contented himself by curling into Shizune’s side and letting the young med-nin help him calm down.

 

Tsunade’s smile softened more as she watched the boys cry and accept the fact that they were, well and truly, safe. Her family just kept growing, didn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is nice as usual. Love y'all and i'll try to update more regularly again *makes heart signs* Also i'll prolly come back later and fix spacing cuz i'm weird but also lazy.


	6. Scabbard for a Rusty Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the seemingly heartless need a place to rest. What's one more misfit for the clan at this point, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from your author: I’m STILL shit at fight scenes. Even friendly mother-son spars. Please have pity on my soul. Also the major OOC is prolly gonna kick in now? Though there’s always been OOC. Anyway, if that bugs you, well…. It's an AU. Things change. :P

Zabuza stood outside the manor, a scroll in hand. It wasn’t much information but he didn’t want to risk having his legs broken by the Legendary Sucker. He walked up to the door and knocked. He wanted to get this over with than leave to treat the wounds currently only roughly treated on his back.

 

The door opened to reveal the green eyed boy, his white hair falling across his face, though it did nothing to hide the angry and distrustful look in his eyes. He glared up at the shark toothed jonin before he was picked up by the brown haired girl.

 

“Okaa-san is out back, you can just head there from outside,” said Shizune before she closed the door.

 

The former Kiri-nin rolled his eyes and walked to the back where he saw the Sucker herself with Sharingan no Kakashi, though seeing the tiny blond was a bit of a surprise. Didn’t brats need naps in the middle of the day?

 

Kakashi let out a wheezing cough as he was kicked back into a tree before the woman said, “Catch your breath Kakashi. We’ll start back up in a couple minutes. Zabuza, what do you have so fast?” She turned to look at the bandaged man before walking past him to lift the small blond wearing a mask identical to Kakashi’s.

 

“Not much. My connections are pretty shit. Rumors are all i can get you. Shit in Konoha is getting bad for the Uchiha after what happened like 4 years back,” said Zabuza with a shrug, “Kiri has a new Mizukage after i tried to murder the last asshole.”

 

Naruto frowned under his mask at the swears and glared at Zabuza, though his glare held infinitely less weight than the glare of the young Kaguya who’d recently taken to the family in truth.

 

“Yeah yeah. You ain’t scary gaki. I’ve seen scarier butterflies than you,” said the black haired man with a roll of his eyes. He turned to leave but was stopped by Tsunade who grabbed his shoulder at seeing the myriad wounds latticing most of his back, visible by the blood soaking through the bandages adorning his torso.

 

“Get your butt into the clinic and lay stomach down on a cot. It’ll be faster than letting you make it worse on your own,” said Tsunade before she shoved him towards the house, causing him to stumble from the force of the push then wince as the jarring motion aggravated his wounds.

 

The swordsman turned to snap a reply at Tsunade only to be met with a level headed stare that made the jonin’s spine stiffen before he walked towards the house. Right, the Sucker was terrifying.

 

“When you get back up Kakashi, just run through your katas of taijutsu. I’ll be out in a few minutes,” said the blonde before she walked after Zabuza.

 

“Hai, okaa-san,” coughed Kakashi as he flashed a thumbs up.

 

Tsunade set Naruto down on the floor of the exam room after she had entered the room. She cracked her knuckles before she began unwrapping the bandages she’d seen on Zabuza’s back.

 

The black haired man bit his tongue as the wounds were unwrapped, the dried blood of the bandages tugging at his skin.

 

“What happened that made these kinds of injuries?” Asked the med-nin as she examined the gashes that currently decorated Zabuza’s back.

 

“Got in a fight with some other nuke-nin. Not a huge deal,” growled Zabuza as she prodded a deep wound.

 

Naruto watched his mother work, his blue eyes curious as the woman rubbed her hands together and green light surrounded them.

 

“Kaa-chan? What’s dat?” Asked the boy as her hands skimmed over the scary looking man’s back.

 

“It’s chakra. I can use it to heal people,” said the woman as she worked, carefully hovering her hands over the worst of Zabuza’s injuries.

 

Naruto made a thoughtful hum and continued watching, his half hidden face painted with the curiosity inherent in young children who wanted to understand the world.

 

“Why are you letting him watch? Ain’t he a bit young to learn this kind of shit?” Asked Zabuza, glancing back at the sannin currently healing his back.

 

“Because, for one, he should see that you aren’t that scary after what you did to him and his brothers. And for another, getting him used to sensing chakra flows will make teaching him control when he’s older easier,” said Tsunade logically as she worked.

 

“Brothers? Oh the other two brats I grabbed. I don’t think the green eyed one likes me.”   
  


“I don’t blame him. You kidnapped them and then, based off how tear stained Naruto’s face was, made his youngest brother cry for several hours,” said Tsunade, her voice now stern.

 

“What do you expect me to apologize?” Asked the black haired man incredulously.

 

“I think it would be a start. You’ll be dropping by often to drop off your reports and get patched up I imagine. Now hush up. I’m working,” said Tsunade as she began to focus more on the wounds.

 

Zabuza rolled his eyes and let them drift shut as his back was healed. When had been the last time someone other than himself had tended his wounds?

 

Haku peeked his head into the room several minutes later before he asked, “Okaa-san? Maro is glaring at this door, what do i do?”

 

“Tell him to come in. I’m sure our guest has something he’d like to say,” said Tsunade as she stopped healing to examine the extent of the damage briefly. She could bandage it from this point and he’d be fine. “Naruto, can you grab kaa-chan a roll of bandages from the cupboard?”

 

The boy nodded enthusiastically as he walked over the cupboard where he saw his nee-chan put the bandages all the time.

 

Haku dragged Kimimaro into the exam room, the white haired boy glaring at Zabuza as he positioned himself between the two younger boys and the jounin. No matter what his okaa-san had told him since the kidnapping, he didn’t trust this person in the slightest.

 

Zabuza pushed himself into a sitting position so Tsunade could wrap the bandages she’d been handed around his torso before he let out a sigh. He hated needing to do this, but he had a feeling that the Legendary Sucker wouldn’t let him leave if he didn’t apologize.

 

“Look, i’m sorry. I learned my lesson cuz yer kaa-san is a terrifying bi-”

 

Tsunade wrapped the bandage into one of the worse wounds, intentionally based off the strength she used, causing him to let out a sharp wheeze of pain as it dug into the partially healed flesh.

 

“Lady. Terrifying lady and i don’t want my throat crushed,” said Zabuza when the pain passed though she shot a glare at Tsunade who merely smiled serenely. Terrifying indeed.

 

“I will add that if he does try to hurt you three again, this one won’t live to see another day. So you’ll be safe,” said Tsunade as she tied off the bandage.

 

Kimimaro looked into Tsunade’s amber eyes for several long silent moments, the air tense before he nodded.

 

“Plus if you’re lucky, he can teach you three how to use weapons when you’re all older, won’t you Zabuza-kun?” Asked Tsunade with a serene smile, though she dug a thumb into a wound in his back.

 

“If i’m around,” mumbled Zabuza through gritted teeth. This lady was scary. Who would willingly put up with it?

 

Naruto let out a bright smile at the thought of training. He loved watching his nii-chan and nee-chan spar and train. They always looked so cool!

 

“Thank you very much Zabuza-kun. We’ll make sure to compensate you with food and board when you do,” said Tsunade as she dusted her hands off and crouched to lift Naruto back onto her hip, “We’re going to be having lunch after i finish Kakashi’s training session for the morning. Feel free to stick around for some decent food.”

 

Zabuza opened his mouth to retort before his stomach growled softly, which caused him to scowl. He’d eaten already, why was he hungry again?

 

“Haku, you can show our guest to the kitchen. Shizune should already be there,” said Tsunade, her amber eyes moving to the petit black haired boy.

 

“Hai, okaa-san,” said Haku politely before he grabbed Zabuza’s hand and began walking out, the jounin following in shocked silence.

 

“Kimimaro, want to come watch me beat up Kakashi a bit more before lunch?” Asked the woman as she looked to her 2nd oldest son.

 

Kimimaro nodded and was picked up, Tsunade barely feeling the weight of the two boys who now each held parts of her heart. Her steps were sure as she exited the home and saw her oldest son running through his taijutsu kata. She gave an approving nod as she set the two boys down.

 

The white haired boy sat down and his blond baby brother promptly curled up in his lap like a puppy the older boy wrapping his arms around Naruto as they observed.

 

Kakashi bowed politely to his mother before he settled into the taijutsu stance he’d learned from his father and refined under his mentor.

 

Tsunade cracked her knuckles and made a come at me motion at her son, before the argent man surged forward, faint traces of lightning chakra charging his muscles as he tried to land a strike on her. She diverted the punch gently and tapped his stomach with her fist before he tried to grab her wrist.

 

Kakashi twisted after he got a grasp of the thin wrist and tried to throw his mother of his shoulder as he altered how his body was using his chakra to increase his strength.

 

Tsunade let the move start but used her body weight to drag her son with her as she rolled them so she was on top in a position to punch him in the face.

 

“Care to try and tell your nii-san where he went wrong?” Asked Tsunade as she stood and dusted herself off. Her amber eyes flicked to the two pale haired children.

 

“He rushed you without having a solid plan,” said Kimimaro after several solid moments of thought.

 

The copy-nin made an offended noise as he picked himself up. “I feel so betrayed right now.”

 

“He let you hold onto him!” Smiled Naruto from where he was sitting.

 

“Very good boys. Let’s go eat now,” said Tsunade with a small laugh before the two younger boys scampered to the kitchen.

 

“Really? That’s where they think I went wrong?” Asked Kakashi in disbelief as he dusted himself off.

 

“They’re young. They’ll learn to read fights better as they get older. Now come on, we need to keep you fed so you don’t pass out on the roof again.”

 

“It was ONCE okaa-san and it was the middle of summer and i wear dark clothes,” said the cyclops with a frown that bordered on a pout.

 

Tsunade laughed and pushed her son forwards towards the house like she’d done earlier to Zabuza. Her steps were light as she followed, tousling her son’s hair as he grumbled about being shoved.

 

The black haired man gave a terse nod to the two after they entered, his facial bandages currently unwrapped to reveal the filed teeth the Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū seemed to have adopted as their universal sign of “Don’t get fucking close to us”.

 

“How do they even manage to get your teeth to ALL look like that?” Asked Shizune, her eyes narrowed as she observed the man’s teeth.

 

“It’s a fairly common procedure in Kiri. Knocked out if you’re a wuss, medical-nin began reshaping the teeth one at a time to perfect razor sharpness,” said Zabuza with a shrug, “Though the Hoshigaki Clan never needed the procedure. Damned shark people the lot of them.”

 

“What’s a shark?” Asked Naruto curiously from where he was seated between Kimimaro and Haku, his blue eyes shining in a familiar way to Tsunade. She’d seen the look often in the boy who had gone on to be called a prodigy among prodigies. If this boy had even half his parents’ talent… well the world wouldn’t be ready for him. A fiercely proud smile crossed her visage at the thought. Her kids would all be fearsome if she had anything to do with it, and she would certainly ensure it.

 

“A shark is a REALLY big fish with lots of teeth that eats other fish,” said Shizune as she set plates of omurice in front of Tsunade and Kakashi.

 

“Cool!” Said the blond around a mouthful of food.

  
“Naruto, mouth closed,” said Tsunade absentmindedly before she took a bite of food.

 

The boy gave a grin before he focused on his food.

 

“So, what caused those wounds on your back?” Asked Kakashi after several minutes of eating, “They looked pretty bad.”

 

Zabuza opened his mouth to snap a sarcastic reply but stopped when he saw a look of stern coldness on Tsunade’s face like she knew he was about to swear. He let out a sigh before he said, “Went to grab some supplies from Kiri, maybe steal some other shit. Ran into some people who were less than pleased to see me. Kiri is known for our kenjutsu and i was used as a dummy as I got out.”   
  
“And you got out with only your back looking like a spiked hammer was taken to it? Color me impressed i suppose,” said Kakashi before he took another bite of food that appeared to go through the mask he still wore.

 

“So, what were you trying to steal?” Asked Shizune curiously.

 

“Couple swords that weren’t being used. Though I feel going back to retrieve more would result in the rest of me looking like my back did when I got here,” said Zabuza dryly, “If i got out at all.”

 

Kakashi gave a slow blink before he returned his focus to his food. He had a distinct feeling he knew what swords had been grabbed but he did not want to confront that at the moment. Shizune’s food was too good.

 

“Well, you can store them here since i doubt your former friends would risk coming this close to Hi no Kuni, or near me if they have any more sense than you do,” said Tsunade as she pushed away her empty plate. 

 

Her comment earned her an eye roll from Zabuza though he reached into the bag that was sitting at his feet, probably grabbed by Shizune when she sent him back to speak to Tsunade, and tossed a sealing scroll to the sannin.

 

“We’ll put this in the room you’ll use and lock it so SOMEONE doesn’t get at it,” said Tsunade, sending a long look at her youngest son. He’d inherited his birth mother’s love of blades and she’d be damned if he got hold of swords that were far too large for him.

 

Kimimaro snorted at the look his mother was sending at his oblivious brother who was focused on his food. He’d seen Naruto eying the various weapons their onii-san and onee-san used when they sparred.

 

Zabuza quirked a thin brow before he stood and said, “Well thanks for the grub. I should go.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked towards the door.

 

“Feel free to stay and rest. We aren’t slave drivers,” said Tsunade as Zabuza was about to exit the room, “I can pay you for another mission since there’s work to be done around the place. And I’d feel guilty if i kept forcing my son and Tazuna-san to do it.”

 

“How much we talking?” Asked Zabuza cautiously. More funds would make travelling easier and finding information a lot less of a hassle.

 

“B-rank? There’s a lot that needs doing still,” said the med-nin after a few moments of thought.

 

“Show me where the work’s gotta get done,” said Zabuza, dropping his pack.

 

“Kakashi, show him to the greenhouse,” the woman’s amber eyes glanced at her son.

 

“Hai hai. Come on Zabuza-kun,” said the argent man as he stood and walked out, the black haired man following.

 

The pair walked in silence as they exited the building and headed for the foundations of a mid-sized building.

 

“Shouldn’t be too hard. Just gotta install the glass and work on the seals for the temperature control, but Shizune-san can do that,” said Kakashi, “We’ll mostly be doing heavy lifting.”

 

“I can handle that,” said the swordsman as he looked at the plot.

 

Kakashi observed the other jounin for several minutes before he said, “Every sword needs a scabbard eventually, doesn’t it? And someone to ensure it stays in top condition.”

 

“Suppose so, if you wanna talk about normal swords. My Kubikiribōchō don’t, and neither do i,” was the only reply.

 

“Whatever you say. Our door’s always open though. For if you ever need a place to rest and not feel like a weapon all the time,” said Kakashi softly. This house, these people, had become his family scarily fast. But everyone deserved this comfort didn’t they? Even their former opponents.

 

“Why are you acting sappy? Ain’t you an elite S-Rank jounin?” Asked the taller man incredulously.

 

“Just reminiscing i suppose. I get sentimental sometimes.” A casual shrug and a smile that was only visible through one eye, though it felt distinctly like it was hiding something.

 

Curiosity piqued, thought the former Kiri-nin.

 

* * *

 

_ ~A Few Weeks Later~ _

 

Tsunade let out a laugh when she walked outside to see the progress on the greenhouse, not even bothering to hide the reaction. She hadn’t expected to see THIS.

 

Zabuza lifted his head slightly from his trapped position and said, “Not a word lady.”

 

“Not even about how cute this is?” Asked the woman, tears gathering in her lashes. Seeing the Kirigakure no Kijin dogpiled under 3 children and several actual dogs in green and white was certainly an entertaining image. But under the amusement, Tsunade was stunned to see Kimimaro and Haku relaxed and apparently asleep there. Naruto never surprised her when he’d decide someone was nice and thus prime territory for anything. Her two middle sons were far warier creatures, especially of Zabuza. This… Naruto must have swung them she supposed.

 

“I didn’t volunteer for this. Kakashi had his dogs drag me down and then i was swamped by brats,” grumped the man, though he didn’t even try to move.

 

“Okaa-san? What’s so fu-” Shizune’s statement was cut off by a snort when she saw the state of Zabuza.

 

He let out a long suffering sigh before he called, “Oi, Copy-nin can you get all this off me so i can actually do my JOB?”

 

“Maa maa, Zabuza-kun, they all look so comfy,” said Kakashi from his perch securing a glass panel on the greenhouse.

 

A low growl formed in Zabuza’s throat that didn’t get past that when one of the boys -maybe the black haired one?- let out a faint grumble. The sound died as swiftly as it formed and the swordsman let his head thump onto the ground with another long suffering sigh. Fuck this was actually kind of nice. He hadn’t…. He supposed he hadn’t really allowed himself to feel comfortable anywhere the Yondaime Mizukage had influence. But this place… it was warm.

 

Kakashi hopped down off the greenhouse and flopped onto the ground in a spot where he could get some good sunlight as he said, “I think that's enough progress for today, don’t you Zabuza-kun?”   
  
“I’m going to strangle you when i get up Kakashi.” Was the flat venomless response.

 

Shizune joined her brothers and Zabuza on the ground, though she was distinctly closer to Kakashi than the three younger boys.

 

Tsunade quirked a brow at that but said nothing as she took a seat under a nearby tree to just soak in the atmosphere. What was one more, she supposed, especially since she doubted this one would really have a choice in the matter either. Her youngest son got his way, no matter what. She glanced at the scene in front of her, idle banter passing between the elder 3 as the younger 3 napped. Caring for people other than Shizune 3 years ago had seemed an impossibility, her heart torn to shreds by all the losses she’d suffered. Now… she couldn’t imagine not having this small mismatched family of orphans that was probably going to grow soon. They gave her a purpose, and to Shizune’s joy, a reason to stop drinking and gambling so much.

 

What felt like hours later, the cracking yawn of a small jaw stirred the others who looked to see Naruto pushing himself into a sitting position before muttering, “I’m hungry, ttbayo…” Which was accompanied by a loud growling stomach that stirred the dogs.

 

Shizune let out a laugh as she pushed herself to be standing, her eyes at the sky before deciding to go work on lunch. “Come on then Naruto, lets go make lunch for everybody for all the hard work they did today.” She offered a hand to him.

 

He fumbled his way out of the dog pile and took his nee-chan’s hand before they walked into the house.

 

“That brat could win over my damned kage i swear,” murmured Zabuza when he was out of range.

 

“He could win over anyone. He’s got that effect on pretty much everybody,” said Tsunade softly, “He got you didn’t he?”   
  
Zabuza rolled his eyes but otherwise didn’t react. That truth hit too close to home. But fighting it was too troublesome by now, so he’d let it stick. 

 

Eventually the group would have to move, Tsunade supposed so she said, “Boys, let your new nii-san up. We all need food and i’m sure your bed would appreciate having feeling back in his limbs.”   
  


“He certainly would,” groused the man as the two boys on his body stirred at Tsunade’s voice. They rubbed their eyes sleepily, the green and amber blurred with sleep.

 

Kakashi chuckled at the sight of the two obviously still half asleep boys sitting on Zabuza’s chest as he was held down by ninken. “Ok. You all can go home.” The ninken looked at Kakashi before they poofed away, allowing Zabuza to began pushing himself into a sitting position, displacing the kids with ease.

 

The yelps that erupted from Haku and Kimimaro pulled laughs from Kakashi, Tsunade and Zabuza as the trio of shinobi all stood. The black haired jounin stretched his hands above his head before he muttered, “The damn mist i’m stiff as a board. How long did you have me trapped there, Copy-nin?”   
  
“Roughly an hour i believe? Bit longer?” Was the response that came with a shrug that revealed Kakashi was hiding the fact he knew full well how long he’d kept the other shinobi pinned.

 

Zabuza went to snap a venomless threat when one of the boys tugged on his pant leg and said, “Okaa-san said you were our onii-san. Are you?”   
  
The Kijin looked down into amber eyes and sighed. Damn it he was soft now, wasn’t he? He tousled silky black locks as he replied, “Yeah i guess i am.”

 

“Senju no Kijin. Pretty nice ring, don’t you think Zabuza?” Asked Kakashi as he walked towards the house.

 

“Just don’t expect me to call the lady my kaa-san,” was his deadpan response as he followed, two boys trailing behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism, all that fun stuff!! 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to update! WRiter's block is a pain in the tush, ain't it? Promise to get back on track with writing more and updating this more frequently, tho i still can't make promises. Also quality might drop since my beta's focused on other stuff so if you see like typos i missed feel free to let me know. <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is prolly bad but meh. Hope you have fun on my roller coaster of canon compliance lol. Constructive criticism welcome.
> 
> EDIT: Quick note, gonna back track and make Minato distant cousins with Tsunade, not her nephew. Makes more sense with the timeline. IMO anyway


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